Dr. Jiménez-Almonte is one of the few dual-fellowship spine surgeons in the United States. He has completed two separate fellowships in complex spine deformity and minimally invasive/robotic spine surgery. His training makes him one of the few spine surgeons in the nation that merges complex spine surgery with the latest in micro-invasive, motion preserving, non-fusion, and outpatient surgical techniques.
Dr. Jiménez-Almonte was raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. During medical school training he completed a combined M.D and Master’s Degree Program with the highly regarded Mayo Clinic Medical School in Rochester, MN. Dr. Jiménez-Almonte completed an Orthopaedic Surgical Residency at the University of Kentucky Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine. On multiple occasions during his training at the University of Kentucky, he was the highest scoring resident nationwide, on the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination.
He completed his first complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of Colorado, focusing in both adult and pediatric deformity surgery, as well as all other aspects of spine surgery. He then proceeded to complete a second fellowship in Comprehensive Minimally Invasive, Robotic Surgery & Outpatient Spine Surgery in Beverly Hill/Los Angeles, CA (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and DOCS Spine). This makes him one of the few spine surgeons in the United States with more than one year of spine fellowship training. During his training at Cedars-Siani Medical Center, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte worked with the pioneers in minimally invasive, motion sparing, and robotic spine surgery. As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte has authored over ten peer-reviewed articles in major spine and orthopaedic journals and has written several book chapters on spine related topics. His research has been presented at both national and international spine surgery conferences.
As an orthopaedic spine surgeon, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte has extensive training in the proper diagnosis of both non-surgical and surgical treatment of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and spine. As extremity (shoulder, arm, hand, thigh, leg, foot) pain may frequently be confused with spinal problems, or vice versa, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte’s orthopaedic training allows him to accurately diagnose the source of pain.
Dr. Jiménez-Almonte utilizes a broad range of minimally invasive treatments to effectively manage all aspects of complex spinal disorders, including herniated disks, spinal stenosis, pediatric scoliosis, adult scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, and traumatic injuries. This type of patient care results in smaller incision, faster recovery and better patient outcomes. Nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments are always considered first, if your condition does require surgery, we provide expertise in the latest techniques and technologies, including robotic surgery.
Dr. Jiménez-Almonte doesn’t just treat your film or MRI, he treats you, assessing your overall lifestyle, activities, family, goals ,and career; which in many cases leads to faster recovery and sometimes reduces the need for surgery altogether.
Disc arthroplasty, or artificial disc replacement, is a surgical procedure that replaces a damaged, diseased or degenerate intervertebral disc with an artificial disc designed to preserve motion in your neck and lower back.
Artificial Disc Replacement is a motion preservation technique that allows for decompression of the spinal cord and nerve roots and maintains the natural movement and flexibility of the neck and lower back.
Disc replacement is typically performed to avoid fusing a level of the spine, thereby preserving motion, flexibility, and neck/lower back movement, and preventing degeneration at other spinal levels.
Disc replacement offers an alternative to spinal fusion for patients suffering from the symptoms of degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical and lumbar spine. Individuals suffering arm or leg pain, or weakness may also be candidates for disc replacement.
Dr. Jiménez-Almonte is one of the few spine specialists qualified to perform robotic surgery in Florida. He uses the Medtronic Mazor Spine Robot to create a customized, 3D blueprint for your procedure and uses robotics to execute his pre-operative plan. This system offers a safer, more precise alternative to conventional spinal surgery using state of the art technique in robotic assisted spinal surgery.
Robotic spine surgery, or robot-assisted spine surgery, describes the use of robotic technology to assist with guidance during spinal surgery. Traditionally, spine surgeons have placed instrumentation in the spine “freehand,” relying on their knowledge of anatomy and on X-rays. In some cases, this has led to surgical complications, misplaced screws and implants, and re-operations.
With robotic assisted spine surgery images are used by Dr. Jiménez-Almonte to determine the size and placement of screws and other implants and create a surgical plan based on your anatomy. This pre-operative plan guides the robotic arm to the precise area of your spine, similar to a planned route on a GPS or cell phone application. This technology allows for real-time visualization of the implant entering the anatomy relative to the pre-operative plan. Dr. Jiménez-Almonte uses this route to accurately place screws and other implants using specific instrumentation.
With minimally invasive spine surgery, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte makes smaller incision through which he gently moves aside muscle and inserts small surgical instruments. During the procedure, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte utilizes cutting-edge robotic digital microscopes to visualize the spine in real-time and separate the muscles surrounding the spine rather than cutting through them. This approach minimizes the dames to the soft tissue and muscles while also lessens blood loss during surgery.
Using state of the art technology, Dr. Jiménez-Almonte can treat an ample range of neck and back conditions without the large incision and extensive recovery that accompany traditional open back surgery.
What is minimally invasive surgery?
MISS is a collection of technology-dependent surgical techniques and procedures that reduces local muscle damage and systemic surgical stress enabling earlier return to function striving for improved outcomes than traditional open surgical techniques.
Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) involves the use of specialized instrument to access the spine and perform the surgical procedure through smaller incision that allows you to receive quality treatment without the lengthy recovery time.
Why we use minimally invasive techniques?
During conventional open spine surgery, the surgeon makes one large incision in order to visualize the surgical area and the muscles surrounding the spine are stripped away in order to access the spine. This invasive technique causes trauma to the surrounding muscles and tissue and can cause several complications during recovery.
With our state of the art techniques, you will be able to resume the activities you love and return to work sooner and more importantly, pain free.
Dr. Jiménez-Almonte can perform some minimally invasive spine surgeries with an incision of less than an inch. The procedure is entirely safe and effective for patients dealing with back pain and other spinal-related conditions.
What are the benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery?
You can count on us to treat you and your loved one with the care that you need and deserve at this time. We want to form a lasting relationship with all our patients so that they can come to us with any questions or concerns and know that we will address them fully.
We look forward to providing you with a minimally invasive spine procedure that can help you or your loved one find lasting relief from pain.
We pride ourselves on our technology, our deep commitment to your healing process, and our ability to provide you with minimally invasive spine surgery.
If so, you may want to consider a second opinion from one of the few dual-fellowship spine surgeons in the United States. Anyone with questions or concerns, as to whether surgery is necessary should seek a second opinion. And Dr. Jiménez-Almonte is here to help you.
Finding out that you may need spinal surgery can cause anxiety and concern about being out of work or disrupting your active lifestyle. Getting an expert second opinion can put your mind at ease.
It is important to understand your diagnosis, treatment options, and your recovery plan. Dr. Jiménez-Almonte will take the time to walk through your individual diagnosis, discuss your lifestyle goals, expectations and help you understand your individual recovery plan.
